


wishing there was a highway in the sky

by thisisgermy



Category: Left 4 Dead (Video Games)
Genre: Backstory, Blood and Gore, Break down, Canon-Typical Violence, Dialogue Heavy, Excessive swears, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Men Crying, One Big Happy Family, bad singing, because ellis, probably not cannon, slight accents, slight existential crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-06-22 19:52:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15589467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisgermy/pseuds/thisisgermy
Summary: sometimes, the reality of a situation can hit you in a fatal blow from nowhere, and it'll keep piling on and on until there's nothing you can do but weep about it.





	1. cry my darlings, cry cry cry

**Author's Note:**

> started: 4/8/2018  
> set in either swamp fever or hard rain  
> im sick of looking at this fpffbsc

'coach?'

 

'yeah, son?'

 

'i'm scared.'

 

coach's attention snapped over to ellis in an instant, only to see his side long vacantness aimed toward the darkened, infected pathways. the comment was so sudden that coach couldn't find any words to return with.

 

'i didn't-' his breathing shuddered, and ellis' stare lowered to his hands. though his vision was limited to the two flashlights aimed to the ceiling, coach could still spot the mix of shame and sadness in his hunched back and slumped shoulders. the postures were so foreign to coach, he had briefly wondered if his sleep deprived mind was imagining up the event. 'it was fun at first, you know? fighting through a burning building, killing zombies, doing all that shit in whisperin' oaks, like we was in a movie or a music video, but after i watched that tank send rochelle flying? and a hunter almost kill nick, and that witch that went all spaz on you 'cause ya stepped too close, and all the other shit we've been through? ... i ... it's- i- ... i-it ain't fun no more coach, it ain't fun wondering if someone's gonna die and never come back 'cause we can't find a defib or, or someone be hurt so bad they can't move no more, or if one day, one'a y'alls gonna turn into one'a them ... them  _things_. i'm so fucking _scared_.'

 

his eyes were shiny with the threat of tears when he finally dared to look at coach. 'i'm getting so tired'a this, man; i wanna be with my friends, my _real_ friends, away from all'a this hogwash. n-not that you guys ain't my friends, i love all y'all with my entire heart and i'm real glad i met you folk, i really am, but _fuck_ man, i don't know if keith or dave or momma or everyone else i know actually  _made_ it to a CEDA camp, or somewhere safe at least. they coulda crashed their chopper somewhere, their pilot coulda been a zombie, they could have turned, they could be fucking dead, and i don't know _shit_.'

 

it hurt. seeing the happy-go-lucky, crazy kid be so real and open and "in the real world". coach said nothing, knowing he had more to rant about, instead lending his ear.

 

'i-i was jus' buyin' beer,' he continued, eyes dropped again. coach couldn't miss the tears streaking down his cheeks. ''cause m-my momma, every monday, always hosted this dinner event, and she'd go all out with the cookin' - pork, potatoes, stuffing, even the green shit like broccoli and peas that me 'en keith always left, and she'd get mad at us, tell us ta eat our greens or we'd never grow strong and healthy.' he sniffled, the palm of a hand pressing hard against the left side of his face, and his voice shivered and broke with each word. he took a moment to breathe and steady himself the best he could before continuing, hand stuck in place as if it would help stop the waterworks. he still refused to properly regard coach.

 

'b-but my sister'ed drank all the beer that week, and i'm talking the entire stash; that one'ed always had a strong tolerance with beer, hell, she could outdrink the grand master or some shit if she really wanted to. my mom asked me to go buy some more for us, 'cause there were a lot of us over, and we all know that dinner ain't dinner without some beer. keith offered to stay behind to help everyone prepare everything since he always joins me on the drives. in a way, it's kinda funny how he offered to stay behind that one day, like he knew a zombie outbreak were gonna happen or some crap. a-and the store was only a mile off - a mile there, a mile back, it weren't nothin'. everything was normal, i paid for the beer, the town was full of people and the usual jackasses laughing up a storm 'bout some shit like they always did - everything was like it always was. nothing had been wrong. it'd been normal.

 

next thing i know, i come back to the house half covered in dust and not a single damn soul in sight. like everyone'ed been abducted, and all i was left with were four full pots 'en pans of food, three packs'a beer and a smudged up note saying they'd been evacuated from the area. by the looks of it, they'd been taken just as i'd left, which still kinda pisses me off when i think about it. i fuckin' hate thinking about it. ... said they couldn't wait around for me teh' get back. i stayed there, to see if they ever did come back, 'cause them lot ain't ones to ever listen to commands - they always find a way to break the rules; such is the tradition of our family. but they uh, they ... they never did come back. woulda been real cool to see 'em all riding in a whirlybird.' he chuckled, though it was empty and bitter. 'news said somethin' about a flu outbreak, advising people to stay barricaded inside before the power got cut off. i waited out as long as i could but i got so tired of sitting around, man. so i came out here looking for answers, and that's when i met y'all. some fuckin' answers i got, huh.'

 

by the time he'd run his mouth, he looked like he'd fought off six waves of hordes by himself. his chest heaved with clingy emotions,  streaks of rivers down his face, the heel of his hand pressing ever harder into his cheek. coach scooted closer to ellis and took hold of the hand with both of his, tugging it away from his person. ellis didn't rise his leer, finding the dark spots of his coveralls more intriguing. he tried to use the bill of his hat to cover his flowing shame. 

 

'you know what, son?' ellis sniffled in response, and despite himself, coach managed to crack a weak smile. 'i'm scared too.' coach felt his own hurt resurface after weeks of suppressing it, and the dragged up memories stung something awful, but he pushed on. he inhaled a deep breath through his nose and held on to ellis' hand, as if the entire world would crumble further into hell if he let go. 'now i don't go spewin' stuff like this to no one, but when the outbreak first hit? i lost some folks real close to me. shit, i didn't know what the fuck was going on; had no time to prepare, to act, to understand, not 'til it was too late.'

 

slowly, ellis' eyes roved up to coach's. somehow he appeared younger. '... what happened?'

 

'had to shoot some good people. my momma and pappa, my lil sis, some friends. classmates. that first day was rough as all shit, son. wasn't too sure i'd make it through the day myself, and it had nothing to do with the zombies breaking in.' ellis' face crumpled further into distraught, his other hand covering coach's right in a weak grasp of support, and in a way, he seemed to be crying for both of them. ellis couldn't speak, and coach didn't blame him. 'i'm scared as shit too. this fucking apocalypse has taken everything from us; family, friends, my school, our town, and the fucking food courts! sheit, every single one 'a them joints are either run out or barricaded up completely! even the candy machines are empty! by the lord, that's when you know it's all gone too far.' there was a hint of a laugh from the other, if only barely, and it was enough for coach's heavy heart. ellis' tears kept coming.

 

'we'll get through this, ellis, i know we will; and i know for damn sure that the rest of your folks made it too, 'cause if you're a lucky, crazy basterd? then so are fuckin' they. so that means you gotta keep your head and hopes up. we gotta show them sons 'a bitches that _we're_ in charge, that we will _not_ back down. we're gonna get outta here, the lot of us. hell, we'll be so optimistic and full of determination, even nick'll want to join in eventually. lord knows his miserable ass needs the cheer up.'

 

they lapsed into silence, listening to the uncomfortable growls and mumbles of the monsters roam outside the safehouse. the sun was still far from rising, their only source of lights coming from their discarded weapons. they didn't worry about a horde attacking their walls; they knew the structure would hold. coach patted ellis' hand and released it, and ellis did the same, returning them to their laps. finally ellis' cries stopped, left only with his weak sniffles.

 

'... thanks for sharing that with me, coach. that shit sucks. this whole things a fucking nightmare.' ellis mumbled after a time. '... an' thanks for listenin' to me moan. i, i kinda felt like i was gonna explode there - i really needed that.' 

 

'i feel a little better for sharing that too, so hey, thanks for listening to me. we all gotta let it out sometime, boy. it's healthy 'en all that shit.' ellis' nod was slight, but coach caught the gesture all the same. then coach softly pushed ellis' shoulder with a smirk, his chest already feeling warmer. 'c'mon, don't turn into nickolas on me.' ellis burst into light chuckles at the statement, and instantly, the mood was lightened. coach's grin seemed to grow wider as an idea sprung to mind. 'y'know what? we'll sing midnight ride, straight from our throats; we can bat the tune out on the zombies heads tomorrow, 'en we'll scream as loud as we damn well want for however long we want too. we're gonna drink, dance, n' party all night, baby.'

 

'you wanna piss off both nick _and_ rochelle in one turn, man? that's like playing with fire.' coach shrugged with a tooth filled cheshire grin, and ellis wiped at his wet cheeks, his smile far brighter.

 

'come on son, lets go get some rest. can't annoy 'em with sleepy heads.' coach climbed to his feet, a soft pat on ellis' shoulder before he scooped up his shotgun and shone his way to the bedrooms. ellis cast a last look to the dark walkways, his smile lingering. then he grabbed his rifle and followed coach through the door, his heart relieved and exhausted, and his mind running through the lyrics of the song, the familiar tune instantly making him feel evermore rejuvenated.

 

tomorrow was gonna be his and coach's mini festival, whether nick, rochelle, and the zombies liked it or not.


	2. but nick, thats what we do, and we plan on annoying you slowly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if only they could carry the jukebox with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> started: 23/8/2018  
> something quick and dumb to follow this up with! i wasnt gonna follow this up with anything but ive been in a real l4d2 mood and i got a very nice comment requesting for a follow up! i hope this is alright!

'WELL I'M A BAD BAD DOG WITH NO HOUSE OR A HOME WOMEN WHISKEY WHEEEELS AND THE ROAAAAAD'

 

'GOT MY SEVEN FIFTY HOWLIN' AND MY SHOTGUUUN LOADED IIII'M FULL UP AND ABOUT TO EXPLOOOOODE'

 

'GOT MAH HAMMER HELD DOWN AND 'AAAH I'M TEXAS BOUUND MY FIGHTIN' HANDS ARE ITCHING TO FIIIIIGHT'

 

'WELL EVERY LADY'S CRAZY WHEN HER DADDY'S NOT AROUND - GONNA DRINK DANCE PARTY ALL NIIIIGHT SHE'S GONNA DRINK DANCE AND PARTY ALL NIIIIIIIIGHT'

 

'rochelle _please_ , just once; just let me shoot them _once_ in the ass without you scolding me, i'm _begging_ of you.'

 

'i dunno, the songs growing on me.'

 

'this is the fifth time they've sung it.' 

 

'yeah, which is why it's probably growing on me.'

 

'you're an asshole.'

 

''ay coach, you ever heard of that one song? it goes something like, "country roads, bring me home",' at ellis' question, coach's face lit up into a devious, downright evil smirk, his eyes positively sparkling with intent that made nick consider taking aim at something other than the zombies. his face was begging, shoulders slumped in defeat. coach made a point to ignore it, inhaling deep. despite the incoming stress of an attack, coach opened his mouth.

 

' _please_ ** _don't_** -'

 

'country roaaaaaads, take me hoooooooome,' coach began, and ellis beamed at him. he swung his guitar at a zombie that charged them to his left, its head exploding into a concoction of blood and brain that gave the weapon a fresh coat of red and darker red.

 

'to the plaaaaaaaace, i beloooooong!' ellis easily picked up with loud laughter, pumping two shells into an oncoming group to their right. five stomachs shattered into intestines and acid, three stumbling from the buckshots, three more mindlessly advancing. he fired off two more shots with impeccable aim, more bodies slumping down. 

 

'west virginiaaaaaaa, mountain mommaaaaa,' rochelle joined in with joy, unloading an entire clip from her magnum into a group behind them without missing a shot. a river of blood and limbs decorated the pavement, soon followed by their owners. more bodies to mark their treks.

 

'take me home, country fucking roads.' nick dully finished, fishing out the rest of the encroaching zombies with his rifle. he made it his life's duty to hide his smile from the rest of them, because lord knew they would never shut up about it if they caught a glance. "so you do like that song, nick!" "i knew you could be happy, nick!" "wow nick, i didnt know you could actually smile!"

 

'y'know, that's the only bit of the song i know.' ellis said, his grin lighting up his features. coach was a mirror of his happiness, rochelle just the same. like they weren't stuck in a world that was burning down and teaming with people that were dead but technically not. coach gently nudged ellis in the ribs, all teeth and crows feet and warmth.

 

'well we got all the time in the world to teach you the lyrics, son.' at that, nick grimaced. he'd heard "all i want for christmas is to kick your ass" and "save me some sugar" twice now; he did _not_ want to listen to a country song sung badly on repeat as well.

 

'uh, _no_ , we sure as hell _don't_.'

 

'aw don't mind nick, he's jealous 'cause he's got a stick up his ass that can't let him have fun.' rochelle stuck her tongue out when nick turned a glare her way, ellis' chuckles loud and true.

 

'ain't that song played on a banjo or some shit?' coach got the idea instantly. he flipped the bloodied guitar around and began to play an uneven, broken melody on a blood coated, three-strings-missing instrument. he had no real idea how to play it, it sounded more like the screech of a blackboard, and he got brain matter on his fingers that made nick gag and want to spew his guts, but they giggled anyway, doing little dances to the wobbly tune even as more zombies flooded to their location. 

 

'i despise you lot.' there was no real malice in nick's voice as he resumed his aim on the monsters, rochelle, coach and ellis following suit with energy in their stances and a reformed shine of hope in their eyes.

 

'aw, we like your stuck up ass too, nickolas!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs: "midnight ride" by "midnight riders" and "country roads take me home" by "john denvor"


End file.
